“I’ve really enjoyed working with Nicholson Glover. Since joining Crowd I’ve worked with a few different recruitment consultants, Hannah and Rudy being two to name, and every time they have been quick to respond and super helpful. They are always keen to get involved and learn more about the business as a whole which then reflects strongly on the type of candidates we see. Hard skills are one thing but personality and cultural fit is so important for us and the team at Nicholson Glover really embrace that which is really appreciated.” – Head of People at Crowd DNA

Who are Crowd.DNA?

Crowd.DNA is an internationally renowned cultural insights and strategy consultancy. They work on innovative and exciting projects with global brands and household names, such as Ikea, Heineken, Spotify and Patagonia. They have offices in London, New York, and Amsterdam.

What did they need?

At the end of 2020, Crowd.DNA embarked on an exciting new journey by joining the Strat7 group. Looking to capitalise on this development, Crowd.DNA sought to increase their headcount in the UK. They were growing rapidly, and three of the specific roles they were looking to fill were the following: Head of Signs and Socialise, Qual Strategic Insights Director, and Senior Quant Consultant.

The team at Crowd.DNA were seeking a highly commercial individual for the Head of Signs and Socialise role; someone who would be capable of expertly evaluating and proposing their offer to clients, driving business development and creating thought leadership. The ideal candidate needed to be someone who was open-minded and not too set in their way of thinking. To fit the bill, they needed to ooze entrepreneurial spirit. Their passion for the company would be palpable; they needed to be someone who bought into the brand message and was exciting by their offer.

 Meanwhile, the ideal Qual Strategic Insights Director would also have to be someone who was skilled and passionate about what they do. Not only would they need to gain the trust of their impressive roster of clients, they’d also be responsible for line managing a team of highly engaged and motivated strategists and researchers. Crowd.DNA were on the hunt for a key contributing voice in the business.

The challenge with filling the Senior Quant Consultant role is that Crowd.DNA weren’t simply seeking out traditional quant researchers. They wanted someone with an edge; someone passionate, creative, highly motivated and not afraid to get their hands dirty. They would need to have the x factor, confidently expressing their thoughts and opinions on quant research to demonstrate that they would be able to think strategically with clients and other people on the team.

Each role required a candidate with a spark. The volume of people they were seeking at the level they were hiring for made this endeavour particularly challenging. Cultural insight is also a niche area, so the pool of talent was markedly limited. Finding the perfect candidates to fill these roles risked turning into searching for a needle in a haystack.

How did Nicholson Glover help?

With the task at hand, Nicholson Glover set to work on their mission to fill these roles. The team embarked on an extensive search. Because the roles were so niche and specialised, we had to exhaust our network, speaking to every senior cultural insights candidate who we knew in the space. It was a tireless effort that resulted in all three roles being filled, with the Senior Quant Consultant role being filled in a matter of weeks.

Two of the candidates took six-month contracts but ultimately went perm. Due to the demands of the role, Crowd.DNA preferred an initial six-month contract to test the waters and make sure that they could deliver to the high standard expected. Once the suitability of the candidates was confirmed, they joined the team as permanent hires.